


Thinking Out Loud

by jacqstoned



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Blind Date, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dating, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2019-09-01 17:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16770076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacqstoned/pseuds/jacqstoned
Summary: Toph sets up Zuko and Katara on a blind date, and it does not go well. Zutara AU





	1. First Impressions

_ She talks to herself. _

It's not a particularly annoying quality, he thinks. It’s kind of endearing. In fact, it's been fairly useful. Like most men, he can't quite figure out how women's minds work. This quirk of hers could really help him out.

"This is so awkward,  _ this is just so awkward... _ " she mutters to herself, and he pretends not to hear her. Internally, he agrees.

He absolutely  _ hates  _ being set up. But Toph had insisted— “ _ Come on, Sparky, it’s not like you have anything better to do! _ "— and although he does not want to admit it, he lets Toph get away with pretty much anything.

So here he is on a blind date.

_ Heh,  _ he smirks to himself,  **_blind_ ** _ date.  _ Even when he tried to argue that his scar would just scare off Toph's friend, she'd put her foot down and said it was going to go well. As if she could  _ see _ how horrible his scar really was.

"So, um..." He realizes she isn't talking to herself anymore. She looks at him uncertainly, one hand fidgeting at the necklace around her throat. "How do you know Toph?"

"She's my roommate," he said, fiddling with his cutlery. Their orders are taking so long. "Well, she's technically my landlord. Since she owns the apartment."

She lets out a little laugh. "That can't be fun."

He raises an eyebrow at this. Her eyes widen, and she holds up her hands defensively.

"I-I just mean— we went to high school together, we didn't really get along well at first, because she was... um... what's the word..."

"A brat?" he offers, smirking.

She shakes her head disapprovingly, but she is smiling. "I was gonna say 'stubborn', but yeah, let's go with your word."

Another awkward silence settles over them. He observes the other patrons of the restaurant, most of whom are cheerfully chatting away. He huffs. Why did they choose such a crowded place. Crowded places make him irritable.

"Oh  _ god,  _ I don't know what to talk about..."

She's talking to herself again. He decides to help her out.

"Toph tells me you teach preschool," he says.

Her blue eyes brighten, sitting up in her chair as she nods enthusiastically. "Yeah. It's not really what I planned on doing, and it doesn't pay very well, but I'm really glad I ended up there."

"If it doesn't pay very well, then why not quit? Look for a better job?"

She blinks a few times before answering incredulously. "Because I love teaching and I’m shaping young minds and I know money isn't the most important thing in the world?"

_ Shaping young minds?  _ He couldn’t even remember the name of his preschool teacher. He tries to hide his snort. She narrows her eyes at him.

"What do you do, then?"

He shrugs. He hopes his attempt at nonchalance hid his shame. "I'm in between jobs at the moment."

It's her turn to snort. "So you question why I stay at my  _ low-paying  _ job when you don't even have one in the first place?"

"It's complicated," he mutters. He could feel heat creeping up around his ears.

She starts to reply but thinks better of it. She is toying with her necklace again. He guesses it’s another quirk of hers. She whispers something to herself that he couldn't quite catch.

He wants to ask what she said but thinks better of it. Their orders have just arrived, and yet all he wants to do is pay the check and run out of the cramped restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be kind! This was my first ATLA fanfic, and it was just supposed to be a two-shot, but 12 chapters are actually up on FF.net since I wasn't on AO3 yet when I published it. Just transferring this here because it was bugging me that I only published it on FF lol. Will be updating this whenever I get the chance until it catches up with the one on FF. Let me know what you think!


	2. Second Impressions

_ I can't believe I actually thought this jerk was cute. _

She pushes the remnants of her dinner around her plate, inwardly cursing herself for agreeing to go out on a blind date. She traces the round stone at the base of her throat. It comforts her, but she still feels anxious.

This is  _ really  _ not her scene. She doesn't know what to do in situations like these.

She already felt awkward when she arrived at the restaurant and couldn't immediately identify who her date was. All Toph said was he had a scar on his face but that she shouldn't ask anything about it. ( _ "I know you need to know everything about everyone, Sweetness _ — _ y'know what? That's probably why you're still single." _ ) She wondered if this was Toph's idea of a practical joke. Maybe she was on a blind date with The Joker.

When she finally located him, she was pleased to see that his scar wasn't so bad. The skin on a quarter of his face was red, bumpy, and shiny in some places, but overall… Overall, in fact, he was easy on the eyes. Very,  _ very _ easy on the eyes.

Then he turns out to be a jerk who judges her based on how much she earns.

They barely talked during dinner, except when he complained his steak was closer to rare than medium rare. Frankly, after that, she lost her appetite. Who the hell cares about how the steak is cooked as long as you have good food?

_ He probably judges people based on their haircuts, too. _

"Sorry?"

She jolted in her seat, looking up at her date, who was looking at her blankly. "What?"

"I don't judge people based on their haircuts."

Her hands fly to her mouth in horror.  _ Oh my god, I just said that out loud! _

His unreadable expression slowly transitions to amusement. "You said that out loud, too."

She groans in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! I just— I talk to myself sometimes, I didn't mean—"

He waves her off. "It's alright. It's kinda cute. But you have to be careful, you know. Thinking out loud like that."

She looks at him in bewilderment.  _ He thinks it's cute. _

_ Wait, did I say that out loud, too? _

He was calling for the check, so if she did, he probably didn't hear her.

She pulls out her purse as their waiter hands the check to her date. He raises his eyebrows at her.

"I've got this," he says.

"No, come on, we both ate—"

"Look, I’d rather not do the whole charade you women do, so just let me pay, okay?"

" _ Excuse me? _ "

He seems confused. "Really, I don't mind.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “What  _ charade,  _ exactly?”

He stammers over her tone, but he keeps explaining anyway. “You know— the whole fighting over the check thing before letting us men pay for dinner anyway?”

She fixes a stony glare at him. “Not all girls do that.”

“It doesn’t matter!” he pinches the bridge of his nose. “A lot of girls do it, so I assumed—"

“So you’re just gonna keep on making assumptions about me even though we’ve just met?”

"That’s not—”

"Here’s an assumption for you: since you’re ‘in between jobs,’ I’m gonna assume that my  _ low-paying  _ career as a teacher still earns more than being a  _ freeloader. _ "

He bristles at this. "Look I didn't mean anything by—"

_ This is the worst date ever. _

She know she says the words out loud, but she was beyond caring. She throws a couple of bills on the table and stalks out of the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the chapters will get longer! As I said, this was originally supposed to be a two-shot or a series of drabbles, but for some reason it blew up to what it is now. Lol tell me what you think!


	3. Scarface

She's happy for her brother and his girlfriend. Really, she is.

It's the prospect of attending a wedding without a plus one that’s making her balk.

"We  _ just  _ got engaged, Katara," Suki says, rolling her eyes at her in the mirror while she puts on her makeup. "We don't plan on getting married  _ that  _ soon. It's not as if I'm pregnant. I just can't handle that kind of stress right now, you know?"

Her eyes widen and she shoots Katara a guilty look. "Sorry! I mean, taking care of kids is great—"

Katara just shrugs it off laughingly. "Suki, I get peed on by toddlers everyday. I get it."

They’ve been walking on eggshells around her since The Date. She isn't mad anymore, really. It has been more than three weeks. She  _ did  _ get a little testy every time someone mentioned her work, but by now, she's pretty much gotten over the whole incident.

_ I don't even remember his name. _

"What's that?"

She jumps out of her reverie. Suki was looking at her over her shoulder, concerned.

_ I really should stop talking to myself altogether. _

“It’s nothing,” Katara smiles. "I just got reminded of something that blind date guy said.”

"Oh, Katara. Don't dwell on Scarface." Suki smirks when she uses the nickname that Sokka came up with. “He's not worth it. You’re sweet, you’re smart, you have  _ gorgeous _ hair that I would literally kill for—but you’re also very kind and fierce at the same time. If he can’t handle all that, then he’s out.”

“I don’t really care about him not liking me,” Katara picks a piece of lint off her dress. “It just hurt to think that maybe other people think what I do is worthless, too.”

Suki puts her brush down and turns around to give Katara a steady gaze.

“Katara, for what it’s worth, I hope all your kids at the preschool grow up with the same conviction as you. I think it’s great you stood up to him.” She picks up her brush again and finishes up with her makeup. She grins at Katara in the mirror. “We girls have to show these boys that we run the world now!”

Katara giggled. “I  _ do  _ like how you beat the ‘men are stronger’ bullcrap out of Sokka.”

“Oh, don’t remind me. I can’t believe after all the stuff I put him through at the academy, he still thought women couldn’t be police officers.” Suki laughs heartily before taking Katara’s arm and leading her out of the bedroom.

* * *

Sokka and Suki’s engagement party is on the rooftop of their apartment. Their father is playing— well,  _ trying  _ to play, thinks Katara— pai sho in the corner with Captain Piandao while Pakku gives the two of them tips on which tile to use. Gran-Gran fusses over the tablecloths covering the few small round tables they’d set up, shaking her head at the lack of proper centerpieces. Meanwhile, Katara is helping Suki and her friend Ty Lee string up the fairy lights while Sokka checks in on the food.

“Congratulations, you two!” cries a familiar voice from the entrance.

She almost falls from the step ladder. She knows that voice. The last time she heard that voice, it was begging her to stay. Her heart wrenches painfully as she remembers.

“Aang!” Sokka marches up to the fresh-faced, tattooed owner of the voice and hugs him fiercely. “I didn’t think you could make it!”

Katara busies herself with the fairy lights, ignoring the worried looks she got from Ty Lee and Suki.

“You know I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Sokka!” Aang smiles widely. “I flew in as soon as I heard!”

Suki glances at Katara apologetically before rushing to join her fiancé in welcoming the guest.

_ Great. Guess I’ll spend this party avoiding Aang, then. _

“I don’t know, Katara…” Ty Lee says, reaching up daintily to hang the last of the lights, “Maybe it won’t be so bad if you guys talked. I mean, you guys are still friends, right?”

She sighs. She  _ really  _ needs to stop voicing out her thoughts.

* * *

The party is gaining momentum when Toph bangs open the metal door, beaming.

“Now the party can  _ really  _ start!” she exclaims.

Katara shakes her head in amusement. Leave it to Toph Beifong to make an entrance.

She puts down her drink to assist her friend when she notices that Toph did not come alone.

_ Great. Guess I’ll spend this party avoiding Aang and Scarface, then. _


	4. Toph Luck

He got wheedled into another one of Toph’s schemes.

She played the blind card, too. He was totally blind-sided.

He doesn’t know why he fell for her whole “ _ I didn’t know you could be so heartless, Sparky, letting a blind girl go out at night in a dangerous neighborhood _ ” speech. Toph could tackle a man twice her size.

Toph does tackle a man twice her size at the party. He guesses this is the man of the hour— a friend of Toph’s from high school, she explained before they left their apartment— because he seems totally unsurprised and utterly delighted that he’s been taken down by a four-foot-nine blind girl.

“You look great, Snoozles! I like your outfit!”

“Thanks! Suki picked it out— hey! It’s been eight years, quit it!”

Toph howls with laughter as she untangles herself from “Snoozles”.

“Toph! You’re here!” A tall, peculiar-looking bald man practically flies into Toph, pulling her into what seems like a bone-breaking hug.

“Twinkletoes! Fancy  _ seeing  _ you here!”

Zuko tries to fade into the shadows. This is embarrassing. He’s uncomfortable with any kind of social interaction, but now he just feels like he’s intruding on something private.

He can’t believe he got roped into this.

He needs a drink.

As he makes his way to the drinks table he notices a girl in all pink stop chattering with her friend long enough to gape at him.

He scowls and tugs up the hood of his jacket to hide his scar. He’s gotten used to ignoring the stares of strangers because he doesn’t really care what they think, but funnily enough he does care about what Toph’s friends think of him. And they probably think he’s a freak.

He bangs the bottle of whiskey down the table a little harder than intended.

“Hello there,” says a tentative voice from behind him. He glances around. It was the friend of the gaping girl.

“Hey,” he manages to unlock his gritted teeth long enough to be polite. They were probably gossiping about how he got his scar and now they had to settle their argument by going directly to the source.

“Welcome to the party,” she smiles easily at him. “I’m Suki. That goofy guy over there is my fiancé, Sokka. You must be Toph’s friend.”

“Zuko.” He shakes her hand guiltily. “Sorry if I seemed a bit angry, I was just— um, I mean, congratulations! Sorry we came empty-handed. Toph didn’t—”

She waves a hand cheerily. “Oh no, it’s perfectly alright! We just really wanted to share the news with the gang.”

He looks at “the gang”. They’re busy stuffing their faces with food and joking around with some of the older people at the party. Something in the warmth of their interactions stings Zuko, making him feel more lonely than ever. “I just got dragged into this so… I could leave to let you guys catch up.”

“Oh nonsense! You know what, let me introduce you to them.” He catches a gleam in her eye that makes him think this girl was up to something.

Zuko downs his drink before following her.

She convinces him to pull down his hood before approaching the gang.

“Hey, Hotman!”

By way of greeting, Toph punches him on the shoulder. Hard. Zuko tries not to wince. For a blind girl, she never misses. Nor pulls her punches.

“I wondered where you ran off to!” she continues. “C’mon, introduce yourself, don’t be shy!”

“Hey there,” he clears his throat. “I’m Zuko. I’m Toph’s roommate. I guess.”

Suki’s fiancé is regarding him in a way that made him more uncomfortable than he already was.

The bald guy breaks into a huge smile before shaking his hand vigorously. “I’m Aang! It’s so nice to finally meet you. This is Sokka, you already know Suki and Toph, that’s Ty Lee over there, those are some of Suki’s friends from the squad — ”

“Calm down, Twinkletoes, he’s not gonna remember all that.”

Aang scratches his head sheepishly. “Sorry. Anyway, the crew’s not complete yet. I still haven’t seen Katara around.”

Zuko notices the uneasy looks exchanged by most of the gang when Aang mentions the name.

He tries to place where he’s heard the name “Katara” before. Maybe Toph mentioned it in passing once; after all, they were good friends since high school—

His eyes widen with realization and he scowls down at Toph, who seems blissfully unaware of his murderous glare.

This little  _ brat. _

Suki clears her throat loudly. “I think it’s time to give speeches!  _ Right,  _ Sokka?”

“Oh! Yeah! Speeches! Totally down for that!”

He seems relieved, like he found an excuse to escape a sticky situation. Zuko doesn’t quite understand it. He’d take sticky situations over speeches any day.

But then he sees a pair of striking blue eyes peering at him from across the rooftop. They narrow at him. He could practically hear her voice, yelling at him over dinner.

On second thought, he’d take speeches over sticky situations from now on.

* * *

The older adults retire to Suki and Sokka’s apartment before the rooftop party gets too rowdy.

“ _ Why didn’t you tell me  _ she  _ was gonna be here?”  _ he hisses as soon as he finds Toph alone.

“I did tell you that, Hothead,” she fixes her sightless eyes on him calmly. “Not my fault you forgot her name.”

Zuko groans, running a hand down his face.  _ “ _ Alright _.  _ Touche. But why the  _ hell  _ did you bring me here?”

“I  _ told  _ you!” Toph smiles innocently. “I’m blind, Sparky. I need all the help I can get.”

“Oh, don’t give me that bull.”

“Zuko.” When Toph uses your real name, you know she means business. “I told your uncle I’d take care of you.”

He could feel his face heating up. “I don’t need—”

Toph snorts. “ _ Sure  _ you don’t need someone to take care of you. All I’m sayin’ is— Gramps is worried. Dammit,  _ I’m  _ worried. Ever since that  _ accident _ you’ve been moping around and shutting everyone out.” She shrugs, looking down and wriggling her toes in her sandals. “My friends are good people who’ve been through a lot. You need that kind of group, y’know? So you don’t feel so alone.”

Zuko thinks he sees her eyes glistening, but the somber expression on her face is already replaced by a wicked grin.

“Besides, Sparky,” Toph punches his arm again, a little less forceful this time, “I figured it’ll be fun to see you squirm after the  _ worst date ever. _ ”

He smacks himself in the forehead. He’d been careful not to reveal how the date had turned out— mostly by not speaking of it. “She told you what happened?”

Toph grins. “I know everything, dude. I’m surprised she didn’t throw her drink in your face. That would’ve been entertaining. But I don’t think you’re a jerk though. Katara’s just a bit sensitive, that’s all.”

Zuko sighs. Sensitive or not, he knows he  _ was  _ a jerk during their date. He just didn’t know he was doing all the wrong things until she stormed out. And— he’ll never tell Toph this— despite his aversion to people, he actually  _ wanted  _ to make a good impression on her.

_ Guess it’s too late for that now. _

He glances around and sees that Toph has struck up a conversation with the girl in all pink.  _ Ty Lee,  _ Zuko tries to remember. He figures he better start remembering names now. 

Judging by the way Toph is murmuring in Ty Lee’s ear, and the way the girl giggles and blushes, this is not a conversation he wants to overhear.

He trudges to the drinks table when he spots something glinting on the floor. He picks it up.

It was a necklace.

It was  _ her  _ necklace.


	5. Tough Love

“What the hell are you doing down there? Are you drunk already?”

“I lost Mom’s necklace!”

She frantically crawls under the tables. Almost everyone was on the dancefloor. Only Sokka’s shoes are visible from this perspective. She doesn’t need to see his face to know he is rolling his eyes.

“Sis, it’s just a necklace! We’ll find it when we clean up later.” Her brother’s face peeks at her under the tablecloth. “Although you’re doing a pretty good job of wiping the floor with your clothes, there.”

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. “You  _ know _ how important that necklace is! You gotta help me find it!”

“Great idea, sis,” he pretends to look around. “Welp, no luck! It ain’t here!”

_ “ Come on! _ ”

“You sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to hide from Aang?”

She bristles at this. “Oh, for fuck’s sake— _ fine.  _ I’ll look for it myself.”

“Whatever you say.” He gets back up. She sees his feet moving away. “Come out soon, though. We miss you out there.”

She hangs her head. She  _ has  _ been scarce tonight. But they all know she’s avoiding Aang and Scarface. They have to understand the situation she’s in. It is a pretty difficult situation, too, considering it’s such a small party.

_ I need a drink. _

She peers from under the table, making sure the coast was clear. Aang was dancing wildly with Suki and some of her friends from the police force. She couldn’t see Scarface anywhere.

_ What a relief. _

She crawls out from under the table and makes a beeline for the drinks table. She passes by Toph, who is too busy flirting with Ty Lee to notice her.

Good enough. Katara isn’t in the mood to talk to her after she brought her  _ worst date ever  _ to the party. She doesn’t even know why Toph bothered to drag him here. Based on how he’d been acting all night, he clearly doesn’t want to be here.

She’s halfway through pouring herself a glass of white wine when she hears footsteps approaching her from behind. She whirls around, fingers clutching at the non-existent necklace around her throat.

“Hi, Katara.” He hasn’t changed from the last time they talked. He still has a perpetual smile on his face. The arrow tattoos on both of his arms peek from under his long sleeves. He still keeps his head clean-shaven. Nothing’s changed.

Except his eyes. His gray eyes are sad.

“Hey, Aang.” She lets her hand fall to her side. Having her necklace would’ve helped ease her nerves. She takes a gulp of her drink, instead.

“I haven’t seen you since…” Aang scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “How are you?”

Katara smiles. “I’m good, Aang. It’s a bit tiring teaching little kids, but I still think it’s worth it. How are things with you?”

Aang perks up slightly. “It’s been great, mostly. I like working for a non-profit. You know how much I love travelling and helping people out.” He pauses, lowering his eyes. “It just gets lonely sometimes.”

Katara chooses to ignore this. She feels heartless doing so, but it’s been more than a year. He can’t keep running to her whenever he feels lonely. “Well, it’s great you’re doing what you love.”

His eyes search hers for a moment before he breaks into a wide smile that does not quite reach his eyes. “Well, it’s great you’re teaching kids. You’ve always been good at that.”

_ He really hasn’t changed. He still knows the right things to say. _

“Thank you.”

Aang opens his arms and after a beat, Katara allows herself to be pulled into his gentle hug.

“It ain’t so bad, Sugar Queen, lighten up.”

She glares at Toph, forgetting that she can’t see her.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to Ty Lee?”

Toph shrugs mischievously. “Gotta leave them wanting more, right?”

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. “I still think you shouldn’t have brought  _ him  _ here. It’s so awkward.”

“It’s only awkward for  _ you, _ ” Toph grins. “It’s been very entertaining for me.”

“Toph,” Katara groans. “No one else knows him here! It’s awkward for everyone else, too! You can’t just bring people—”

“No one else seems to mind, Sweetness,” Toph points a few feet shy of Sokka gesturing animatedly at Scarface.

She scrunches up her face. “Sokka’s just drunk.”

Toph snorts. “If you’d come out of your cave earlier you would’ve seen how much the gang likes him. So you had a bad date. Chill out.”

“I will  _ not.  _ He’s an entitled, pompous, sexist jerk.” She doesn’t understand why Toph is friends with Scarface. Granted, Toph  _ has  _ shadier friends than this guy, but still. “I don’t see why you even thought we’d get along well. You suck at matchmaking.”

Toph starts snickering until she’s clutching her stomach from laughter.

“What the  _ hell  _ is so funny?”

Toph manages to catch her breath long enough to wipe a tear from her eyes. Then she starts laughing again.

“Toph! I swear to god!”

With a frustrated stomp of her foot, she stalks to the other corner of the rooftop, as far away from Toph as possible.

_ Maybe the date really was a prank. _

Katara nurses her drink, her pride still a little hurt by Toph, as she watches the rest of her friends mingle. Suki is talking with some of her friends at the tables; Aang is busy picking out the vegetarian food from the snacks table while chatting with Ty Lee; Toph has already moved on to the dancefloor and is challenging Sokka to a dance battle; and Scarface— 

_ Oh my god, he’s headed towards me! _

She tries to find an excuse—  _ any excuse _ — to escape, but she’s literally in a corner.

So, she tries to give the most venomous glare she could muster.

He has the nerve to give her a small smile.

She crosses her arms and turns away when he reaches her side.

He clears his throat.

She ignores him.

“Hey.”

_ Hey?! The first words out of his mouth should be “I’m sorry”, not “Hey”! _

She pointedly stares anywhere else but him. She hears his frustrated sigh and for a second she feels triumphant.

“I think this is yours.” He holds out his hand. Begrudgingly, she turns and looks at what he is proffering.

Her mouth drops open in shock.

_ Mom’s necklace! _

She reaches out for it but he snatches his hand back at the last second.

“Hey!” She glares up at him and he has the gall to look amused.

“The first words out of your mouth should be ‘thank you’, not ‘hey’.”

She could feel the vein in her head about to pop. She manages to mutter “Thank you,” through gritted teeth.

He grins as he hands her back her necklace.

“For the record,” he adds, “I am sorry for the worst date ever.”

“Good to know,” she spits out.

She turns away from him again, hoping he’d just leave her alone. She busies herself with clasping her necklace back in place. Her hands won’t stop shaking. Whether it was from anger, from the cold, or from the exhaustion of avoiding people all night, she doesn’t know.

“You need help with that?”

“No.” She really does, though, but she won’t give him the satisfaction. “Are you  _ assuming  _ I can’t put my own necklace on?”

He hears his huff of frustration and she smiles to herself.

“ _ No,  _ but if you  _ want  _ my help, I’m offering it up on a silver platter.”

Katara contemplates just pocketing her necklace and walking away, but who knows where she might drop it next?

“ _ Fine. _ ” She drapes the ends of her necklace around the back of her neck as best as she could before gathering her hair up and turning her back on him.

She almost jumps when his warm fingers lightly touch her nape, moving aside locks of hair she missed. Her breath catches in her throat when she realizes he is close enough for her to feel his warm breath ghosting her neck.

Her heart thumps erratically in her chest.

“There.”

She swallows and turns around. He’s much closer than she thought he would be.

“Thank you.”

“Happy to be of service.” He seems to realize how close they are and takes a step back, putting his hands in his pockets. “Don’t lose it again. I may not be around to pick it up and return it to you.”

“Gee, thanks,  _ Knight in Shining Armor _ .” She rolls her eyes. “You know, you should get off your high horse sometime. You could be a pretty decent guy when you put your mind to it.”

“I’ll try.” He turns to leave with a small smile on his face.

_ Maybe Scarface isn’t so bad after all. _

He stops in his tracks. “You really should stop thinking out loud,” he calls over his shoulder. “My name’s Zuko. Stop calling me Scarface.”

She smacks herself in embarrassment.


	6. Tea Time

Job-hunting is hard. The rejection letters and emails are piling up.

_How do people do this?_

He never had to look for a job before, but what little money he has is going to disappear if he doesn’t find a job soon.

He closes his laptop in frustration.

“Mornin’, Sparky.”

Toph trudges out of her room, barefoot and yawning, her black hair mussed from sleep. She always gets up late.

“It’s not morning anymore. It’s half-past noon,” Zuko says, trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

Toph shrugs and tucks into her bowl of cereal.

_What must it be like to be a trust fund kid._

Zuko opens up his laptop again. No use running away from the hunt. He knows well enough that jobs won’t just fall into his lap.

“By the way, Sparky. We’re going downtown today.”

“What for?” His attention is mostly on the cover letter he was writing.

“ _Duh!_ It’s the grand opening of Pop’s tea shop!”

His fingers linger over his keyboard. “Uncle didn’t tell me he was opening his shop today.”

“Yeah, ‘cause he wants to surprise ya with somethin’, so you better act surprised,” Toph gulps down the coffee Zuko brewed for them and gags. “What the hell did you put in this, Hotman?”

“Um, coffee?”

Toph _tsks_ before heading to her bathroom. “Let’s hope terrible brewing doesn’t run in the family, otherwise I invested in Gramps for nothing.”

* * *

The Jasmine Dragon is on the quieter side of the downtown area. It seems quaint. Not quite traditional, not quite modern. An arch of white and silver balloons welcomes them in the doorway. Light streams through the large glass windows at the front of the shop, but inside it was surprisingly dimmer and somewhat cozier compared to other tea shops he’s been to.

A few customers lounge on comfortable-looking couches that surround the round wooden tables. On top of each table was a bowl of white lotuses. He wonders if his uncle could keep up the steady supply of fresh flowers everyday.

“Nephew!” An elderly man greets him from behind the counter.

“Uncle!” Zuko rushes up to him and hugs him. “Congratulations on your tea shop.”

“I’m just thankful you are here to celebrate with me, Zuko.” Iroh holds him tightly for a second longer than necessary and Zuko tries not to blush in embarrassment. He claps a hand on his uncle’s back as Iroh turns to greet Toph.

“Miss Toph!” He says warmly, bowing even though he knows Toph cannot see. “What an honor to have you in my humble shop. How do you like the decorations?”

“You beat me to the blind joke, Gramps! It looks freaking awesome!”

“I hope my nephew has been an exemplary tenant,” Iroh says with a twinkle in his eye.

Toph laughs at this. “Sparky’s been a real hoot, Pops. Still makes terrible coffee, though.”

Zuko resists the urge to glare at Toph. Uncle Iroh chuckles.

“Ah yes, Zuko’s never been one to make good tea or coffee. I always told him the secret ingredient is love, but he always looks for it in all the wrong places.”

“ _Uncle!_ ” Zuko runs a hand down his face, blushing.

Toph giggles mischievously beside him. “It’s true, you know.” She turns to Iroh. “He also doesn’t know how to act around girls. I set him up with my friend—”

“ _Toph!_ ”

Both Toph and his uncle chuckle good-naturedly. Iroh sighs happily.

“Why don’t you two take a seat while I get us a nice pot of ginseng?”

He disappears into the kitchen before anyone could reply. Zuko surveys the shop and notices a girl in a nearby table regarding him curiously. He curses himself for not wearing a hoodie to hide his scar, but it was such a warm day out and he runs hot.

“C’mon,” Zuko tugs Toph to a table in the corner booth by the window just as his uncle emerges with a tray laden with cookies and teacups.

“Not to tell you how to run your business but…” he looks around uncertainly as Toph eagerly slurps her tea. “Don’t you need to attend to your customers, Uncle?”

“You have much to learn in the art of serving tea, nephew.” Iroh takes a sip and closes his eyes serenely. “Tea brews beautifully when it is allowed to rest. There must always be a balance between relaxation and hard work.”

“Yes, but…” he looks pointedly at the girl in the other table. “That girl over there keeps looking at us. I think she wants to order or something.”

Iroh’s eyes glint in the late afternoon sun. “My, my. Why don’t you see what she needs, Zuko? I have to speak with Miss Toph about the budget for hiring additional staff.”

Zuko groans as he approaches the girl. “Good day,” he clears his throat. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Oh!” she smiles at him. “You work here?”

He shrugs. “It’s my uncle’s tea house.” He scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I can assist you while he’s busy.”

“Well…” she blushes as she traces a finger around her empty teacup. “I actually have to go, but…”

“I’ll get you your check,” Zuko offers.

“Hmm, and while you’re at it,” she smiles up at him, “maybe I can get your number, too?”

Zuko could feel the heat spreading through his cheeks. “W-what?”

“He would be honored, miss,” Iroh suddenly appears at his shoulder, beaming. “Please excuse us while we will get your check ready.” He bows deeply as he exits.

Zuko nods awkwardly to the girl as he follows his uncle to the back of the shop.

“Why did you say I’ll give her my number?” Zuko demands.

“It seems you have a gift for charming customers, nephew,” Iroh scribbles Zuko’s digits on the check.

Zuko crosses his arms over his chest. “That doesn’t answer my question, Uncle.”

“You know, Zuko, if you’re still looking for employment, I would love for you to come and join me here.” Iroh straightens up and hands him the piece of paper in a wooden tray.

Zuko rolls his eyes before pushing past the swinging doors of the kitchen and striding to the girl. She beams at him when he hands her the check.

He manages a small smile in return.

She waves at him as she leaves the shop.

_That wasn’t so bad._

Zuko pauses before ducking back into the kitchen.

“Okay, Uncle. I’ll work with you here.”

“Oh, how wonderful!”


	7. Spa Day

“I’m surprised you agreed to go to the spa with me today.”

Toph turns her head lazily, her sightless eyes covered by cucumber slices. “Yeah, well, you’re lucky I had a bit of time to kill, Sweetness.”

“Mm hmm _, sure,_ ” Katara mutters, humoring her. Toph would never admit it out loud, but Katara knows she enjoys it. And Katara knows it is easier to get Toph talking when she spends the day knee-deep in essential oils.

They are in their regular spa. They’ve frequented it so much that the masseuses knew not to scrub Toph’s feet after their first few attempts a few years ago resulted in a deluge of profanities.

“Hey,” Toph calls out to her beneath her mud mask, “why’d you wanna go out in the first place?”

“Do I really need a reason?” Katara sighs. “I just want to spend more time with you.”

“Quit sugar-coating, Sugar Queen. I know you’ve got a lot to say.”

_“Fine!”_ Katara snaps. All the tension that slipped out of her during the massage find their way back into her body. “You disappeared for a _year_ , we barely knew where you were, you barely talked to any of us, and then you just stroll back into our lives like nothing happened? What gives, Toph? We’re supposed to be _friends!”_

“We _are_ friends, Katara.” Toph replies calmly. “Sokka and Aang are over it. I don’t see why _you’re_ putting up a big stink about it. ”

“I just…” Katara twists her fingers around each other anxiously. “I needed you there. When Aang and I broke up. Sokka didn’t really understand, but I knew you would.”

Toph is silent for so long Katara thinks she has fallen asleep.

“Toph?”

Toph’s voice is barely audible. “I get it. It’s why I disappeared, too.” She sits up and sighs. “I needed to have my own adventures.”

Her words hang in the air as Katara mulls them over.

Her adventures over the year weren’t all that exciting, but it _is_ nice to feel like she’s in control of her future. She’s making her own decisions instead of just going with whatever Aang had planned out for the next ten years. It is nice to find herself and her passions. She’s living her own life without any external influences. Except…

“Toph! I still don’t know why you set me up with Scarface!”

Toph snorts into her mud mask. “That’s a pretty creative nickname, Sweetness. But I think I’ll stick to calling him ‘Sparky’.”

Katara flicks a cucumber slice off Toph’s eye. “That doesn’t answer my question!”

Toph grins. “I thought you guys would hit it off, since you’re both pains in my ass.”

Katara realizes she won’t get a serious answer from Toph, even with all the pampering she’s bribed her with. She huffs. “How did you even end up being roommates with him?”

“I had a lot of adventures when I was gone, Sweetness.” Toph hops off her bed and stretches. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. I need a drink.”

* * *

“Wow, Toph. When you said you needed a drink, I didn’t picture _this._ ”

They are standing outside a small, somewhat rustic tea shop a couple of blocks from the spa. The words “Jasmine Dragon” are engraved on the wooden sign above the entrance, framed by intricate carvings of two bearded, scaled dragons. She’s never seen a tea shop in this part of downtown before. Katara is sure she would’ve heard of it, judging by how packed the place was.

“Is this place new?” she asks. Toph doesn’t seem to hear her and merrily charges in.

“I don’t think we’re going to find a table, Toph.”

“It’s okay, I know a guy,” Toph waves at her as she makes her way to a seat in the corner. Katara weaves her way through the crowded tables, wondering how on earth a blind girl can walk through this place without any assistance.

She settles down on the cushions with a sigh. Toph plops down on the couch across from her.

“Honestly, Toph, I didn’t think this was your kind of scene.”

“I’m full of surprises, Sugar Queen.” Toph tucks her hands behind her head. “Besides, you wanted to snoop around on what I did when I was gone, right?”

“I wasn’t _snooping—_ “

“Miss Toph!” A stout, elderly man approaches them jovially, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his traditional robes. “It is so good to see you back so soon!”

“Just checking up on ya, Pops.”

‘Pops’ chuckles appreciatively before bowing to Katara. “I see you’ve brought a friend. It is absolutely _lovely_ to meet you, Miss…?”

She springs to her feet and bows awkwardly. “Katara. I’m sorry, Toph didn’t have the _good grace_ to tell me who we were visiting.”

He laughs heartily while Toph snickers from her seat. “You may call me Iroh, Miss Katara.” He claps his hands together. “Now! What would you ladies have?”

* * *

“Gotta hand it to ya, Gramps,” Toph munches on a beautifully-iced cookie. “I didn’t think you’d become the best tea-maker in town in just a few weeks.”

Iroh blushes. “That’s very sweet of you to say, Miss Toph.”

“Glad to know I invested in the right place,” Toph pops the rest of her cookie in her mouth and reaches for another one.

Katara looks up from her oolong tea. “‘Invested’?”

“Miss Toph was kind enough to partner with me in my venture,” Iroh explains.

“How did _that_ happen?” Katara leans forward in her chair. “I never knew Toph was so interested in tea.”

Toph shrugs. “Met Gramps about a year ago. He made good tea and gave good advice, so I figured, what the hell, y’know?”

“Oh, she is being too modest, Miss Katara.” Iroh takes a sip of his tea and smiles kindly at Toph. “She also agreed to take in my nephew when the poor boy lost his home.”

Katara’s eyes widen with Toph’s.

“Pops! You weren’t supposed to say that!”

_“That’s_ how you ended up being roommates with Scar— with Zuko?”

“Oh no,” Iroh says, his tone amused and not the least bit perturbed, “Was I not supposed to talk about your kind heart, Miss Toph?” He then turns to Katara, whose jaw was still hanging from the revelation. “I did not realize you knew my nephew!”

Katara promptly closes her mouth. She clears her throat uncomfortably. “After a fashion, I guess.”

Toph snorts into her tea. “She thinks he’s a jerk.”

_“Toph!_ ” Katara worriedly looks at Iroh, waving her hands defensively. “I don’t think your nephew’s a jerk! Well, not anymore, but he just seems a little— um… condescending… sometimes. But that’s just because I haven’t known him long! I’m sure—”

“I understand, Miss Katara.” He bows his head over his cup. His smile fades slightly. “Zuko may appear aloof, but that is because he is his father’s son, and he still has not found his own way and own aspirations. I’m afraid he still aligns his values with what his father believes in. My brother can be… condescending, too, to say the least.”

Katara sips her tea quietly, unsure of what to say to this torrent of information. One thing she is sure of, though, is how much Iroh loves his nephew. It seems like he has been taking care of Zuko from childhood. And with the way he talked about his brother, Katara gets a feeling that Zuko’s childhood may not have been easy.

“I hope my nephew finds himself soon.” Iroh smiles up at them, eyes glistening. “I would have offered to let him stay at my home, but because of the construction of the tea shop, it was not exactly presentable if he decided to bring home a lady friend.”

Katara chokes on her tea.

_I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem._

“Oh, I don’t know, Miss Katara,” Iroh says. Toph sniggers into her cup. “Zuko has been particularly charming to one of our regulars. Jin, I think she is called. Such a wonderful girl.”

_Huh,_ Katara thinks, sipping her tea to prevent her from saying her thoughts out loud, _I guess I just wasn’t ‘wonderful’ enough to see the ‘particularly charming’ side of Scarface._

_But then again, why should I care?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, we’re really getting a bulky fic here, huh? Sorry. I have a couple chapters lined up, but I may not update this until I finish another chapter. Just so I have back up stuff to publish, you know? Anyway, enough rambling from me. Lemme know what you think!


	8. Date Night

This isn’t exactly the worst date ever, but things could be better for Zuko.

After weeks of texting and casual chats at the tea shop, he finally had the guts to ask Jin out. They met at the tea shop after his uncle excitedly told him to take the rest of the day off.

Now, they were at a Chinese restaurant she likes, and she is slurping her noodles animatedly. 

“You have... quite an appetite for a girl,” Zuko comments.

Jin stops long enough to look at him and slurp the last of the noodles hanging from her mouth. 

“Uh, thanks,” she replies uncertainly, putting down the bowl.

Zuko winces internally. Should he not have said that? He pushes his dumplings around on his plate, hoping that a topic for conversation would drop into his lap.

“So… What do you like to do for fun?” she asks him, a cheeky smile playing across her lips.

Zuko pauses in pushing his dinner around his plate. What  _ does _ he like to do for fun?

“Nothing,” he replies truthfully. He resumes playing with the remnants of his food. 

“Excuse me, sir,” the waiter approaches them cheerfully, “would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?”

Zuko nearly drops his fork. “She’s not my girlfriend!” he snarls.

_ Shit. I just blew it, didn’t I? _

He looks anxiously at Jin, but she seems unaffected. She happily slurps the rest of her noodles and sets the empty bowl down with a satisfied sigh.

“Hey, I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city,” she says eagerly.

“Oh, okay then,” Zuko calls for the waiter he shouted at and asks for the check.

They were already walking down the sidewalk, her arm linked through his, when Zuko realizes something.

_ She didn’t even reach for the check. _

* * *

“I’m so excited for you to see this,” she says, merrily dragging him through unfamiliar alleys downtown as street lights pop on in the gathering dusk. “The fireflies come out around this time and the light they make reflect on the pool of the fountain in the most  _ beautiful  _ way.”

They arrive at a somewhat secluded, dimly-lit park. Zuko only has a moment to wonder if this is some ploy to mug him before Jin rushes off excitedly to the huge fountain in the middle of the park.

She turns away, crestfallen, as Zuko approaches. 

“I can’t believe it.” She sits down on the lip of the fountain. “They’re usually here.”

Zuko sits down beside her and puts his hand over hers. “Maybe if we wait long enough they’ll appear.”

“I hope so.” Jin gives him a small smile and laces his fingers with his. 

They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Zuko spots sparks in the distance.

“Hey, look!” he nudges Jin. “I think your fireflies are here.”

Jin giggles and playfully shoves him. “Those are  _ fireworks,  _ Zuko.”

“Who cares?” He shrugs, grinning slightly. “They’ve both got the word ‘fire’ in them. And they reflect on the fountain. Kind of.”

She laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking up at him bashfully. She leans into him, until her lips were just a breath away from his.

“Thanks, Zuko,” she whispers, “You’re really sweet.”

She closes the distance between them before he could respond.

Her body is flush against his. He deepens the kiss as he slowly trails a hand to her waist.

She pulls away.

“You know,” she says in a low voice, tracing a finger down the smooth side of his face, “My apartment’s just a few blocks from here.”

“Um…” Zuko gulps and backs away slightly. “I, uh, forgot. I promised Uncle I’d be back at the tea shop to do… inventory.”

“Oh.” Jin pulls back, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

“I’m so sorry,” Zuko quickly gets to his feet. “I… I actually brought you something.”

“Oh?” Some of the disappointment disappears from her face.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. “It’s a coupon for a free cup of tea.” He could feel himself blushing from embarrassment as he hands her the coupon. “It was my uncle’s idea — he thinks you’re our most valuable customer.” 

“Zuko,” she says, her tone both amused and touched, “this is so sweet. Your uncle’s a good man. And so are you.”

She kisses him on his unscarred cheek before linking her arm around his. “Walk me home, at least?”

Zuko smiles. “Of course.”

* * *

Zuko is surprised to hear voices in his apartment after helping his uncle at the shop. He pauses before opening the door.

“SPARKY!” Toph hollers from the living room floor. Shot glasses and bottles of alcohol line the top of the coffee table. The newly engaged couple from the last party Toph dragged him to sit on cushions on the floor beside Toph. Zuko tries to remember their names— _Sokki? Suka? That can’t be right._

“What’s going on?” he asks, trying to sound slightly welcoming and not too pissed. 

“Game night!” announces the guy with the man bun— _Sokka,_ Zuko remembers his name now— while holding aloft his can of beer.

“Game night?” Zuko looks around at the room. He sees no board games or cards.

“Yeah! We’re playin’ Never Have I Ever! You gotta catch up, Sparky!” Toph sloppily pours him a shot of tequila, sloshing a bit on the carpet. The girl— _Suki,_ if Zuko recalls correctly— rolls her eyes and takes the shot glass and bottle out of Toph’s hands.

Zuko runs a hand down his face. “I’m gonna get you some water, okay?”

He heads to the kitchen, not bothering to deposit his stuff in his room. It’s been a long day, and he just wants to get this over with.

He halts in his tracks when he sees her in the kitchen fiddling with the blender.

_ This day just got longer. _

“Oh!” Katara visibly jumps when she sees him in the doorway. The lid of the blender she was holding clatters to the floor and rolls to a stop at his feet. He picks it up and hands it to her wordlessly.

“Thanks,” she fidgets with the lid slightly before bursting into speech. “I’m sorry! Toph said you weren’t gonna be here so we went here to chill after our spa day and Sokka found out and weaseled his way in and Suki—”

“It’s okay. I come in peace.” Zuko processes what she just said and laughs slightly. “Did you just say you and  _ Toph  _ had a  _ spa day? _ ”

“Yeah,” Katara smiles as she rummages through the cupboards. “I needed to bribe her into talking, and spa day always works.”

“‘Bribe her’?” Zuko repeats in disbelief. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”

Katara grins slyly at him as she cuts up the lime. “I’m full of surprises, Scarface.”

Zuko groans at the nickname and opens the fridge to get a glass of water. He is about to close the fridge door when Katara appears at his shoulder carrying the blender.

“Hey, can I get some ice?” She waves the blender in his face. “I don’t know how to operate this space age thing you guys have, to be honest.”

“You know,” Zuko says as he fills the container with a push of a button, “I’m surprised you’re not as hammered as those guys.”

Katara scrunches up her face. “It’s Never Have I Ever. I haven’t done a lot of stuff.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Besides, someone has to take care of those idiots.”

He rolls his eyes in understanding and hands her the ice-filled container. “I always end up cleaning the apartment in the morning after Toph gets sloshed.”

“Ugh, I know what you mean.” Katara gestures a bit too wildly and accidentally adds too much tequila into the blender. “Oops. Anyway, Sokka trashed our house so much in high school, and I always had to clean up after him. I don’t know who was more relieved when he moved out — me, my grandma, or my dad.”

Zuko laughs. It surprises him that he seems to find the prospect of talking to her more appealing than joining a clearly drunk Toph and her loud friends.

“So I’m guessing your mom still wanted your brother around even though he wrecked your house with parties?” Zuko leans back on the counter. 

Katara pulses the blender a couple of times. She touches her necklace before replying in a quiet voice. “We lost our mom in an accident when we were kids.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Zuko could feel his own loss in her words. He reaches out to lay a hand on her shoulder. “That’s something we have in common.”

She turns around and looks at him with more pain in her eyes than he expected. “I’m sorry I yelled at you before.”

“It’s okay.” 

“No, it’s not.” She looks at him earnestly. “Toph said you were a good guy, and I just yelled at you and walked out on you like that. I didn’t realize — ”

“It doesn’t matter.” Zuko cuts her off. He realizes his hand was still on her shoulder and drops his arm to his side.

“I’m still sorry.” She is quiet for a moment, busying herself with making the drink. Zuko wonders for a moment what she’s thinking— he’s vaguely uncomfortable now that her thoughts don’t spill out of her mouth.

She finally speaks. “I met your uncle, by the way.”

Zuko freezes. She glances up at him warily, her blue eyes full of emotions he can’t understand. 

“How…?” He croaks out. 

Katara looks almost apologetic. “Toph brought me to his tea shop. It was near the spa we usually go to.”

“Oh.” Zuko struggles to form the question that embarrasses him beyond belief.

Katara seems to understand, though. She laughs slightly. “He doesn’t know about… how we met. Toph just told him that I thought you were a jerk. Typical Toph.” 

Zuko snaps out of his surprise and lowers his head guiltily. “I  _ was  _ a jerk. I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I think…”

He doesn’t know what he thinks. That it’s good she has figured her life out?  _ No, that’s too presumptuous.  _ That at least she has a job?  _ No, it still sounds like I’m belittling her.  _

“I think you’re passionate,” he finishes lamely.

Katara looks at him with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and something else he can’t quite read. “Thank you.”

She pulses the ice in the blender some more. Zuko wonders if he should leave her alone, if he should get back to Toph and give her the glass of water he’s been holding all this time, but then Katara unplugs the blender and pauses slightly.

“He really loves you, you know,” she says quietly, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. 

“I know.” A small, sad smile reaches his lips before he could help it. Katara notices, though.

“Hey, you should join us,” she says, smiling at him brightly. “I promise I’ll help you clean up when Toph and Sokka wreck this place.”

He smirks and follows her out of the kitchen. It’s been a long day, but he’s willing to make it last a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, these chapters are getting longer! I seem to be out of my writing rut now. And we’re finally getting some non-hostile Zutara interactions, yay! Where will it go from here? I dunno. Let’s see where my muse will take me. Leave a review and lemme know your thoughts!


	9. Game Night

“Never have I ever…” Suki swishes the partially melted frozen margarita in her glass, thinking hard. “Been in a fistfight!”

“That’s not how the game works!” Katara giggles. Despite what she said about wanting to take care of her drunk friends, the amount of alcohol she consumed is already making her loud and giddy. “You have to say something  _ you’ve  _ never done before!”

“Ah, fuck it, Katara, I wanna drink!” says Suki, downing the contents of her glass. 

“That’s my girl!” Sokka says, throwing an arm around her as he takes a gulp of his beer. 

Zuko and Toph both take shots of tequila. 

“Am I the only one who hasn’t beaten up people?” Katara cries out indignantly. 

Zuko chuckles quietly beside her. She turns to him irritatedly. 

“I know Toph and Sokka’s been in tons of fights, but you? Seriously, is  _ everyone  _ here  _ that  _ barbaric?”

He shrugs. “I’m trained in mixed martial arts.”

“That is so  _ cool! _ ” Sokka says. “I never had training until I joined the force. I still think that’s why Suki beat me all the time in sparring.”

“Oh, please,” Suki says, rolling her eyes. “I’m just a better boxer.”

“Alright, alright! I concede,” Sokka puts up his hands in defeat. “Never have I ever... feared for my life after breaking up with someone.”

Toph snorts. “Who the hell has been in  _ that  _ situation, Snoozles?”

Zuko drinks. He looks up at their dumbfounded faces.

“You  _ just  _ said you’re trained in MMA!” Sokka says incredulously. “Who was your ex, a hired killer?”

“No, but she likes throwing knives.”

Toph bursts out laughing. “How in the world did you get out of that one?”

Zuko flushes, rubbing a hand on his nape. “I… sort of… wrote her a note.”

Katara sputters on her drink. “You broke up with a girl using  _ a note?  _ What the  _ hell  _ is wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s  _ wrong  _ with me!” Zuko runs a hand down his face. “It was around the time I — ”

He stops abruptly. He wasn’t ready for them to know how he ended up living with Toph.

“Around the time you…?” Suki prompts.

“Never mind. The point is, I had no choice. Leaving her the note was the best way to go.”

“No wonder you feared for your life.” Katara refills her drink. “I would totally kill you if you broke up with me using a  _ note _ .”

“If I broke up with you?” Zuko says, both startled and amused, not knowing if this was one of those times she was talking to herself. 

Katara shakes her head, eyes wide. “I meant, if I were in your ex’s shoes!”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, Sugar Queen,” Toph says, feeling around the table for the pitcher of frozen margarita. Zuko reaches for it and refills Toph’s glass. “We all know you scared Sparky so much he’ll never go on a second date with you.”

Zuko nearly drops the pitcher. “I never said that!” he says amidst Sokka and Suki’s laughter. Words barrel out of his mouth, the alcohol loosening his tongue. “I never said anything about the date until Toph dragged me to the party, and I swear, I didn’t know you were gonna be there, I know you didn’t want to see me, it was so awkward — ”

“See!” Katara points a finger accusingly at Toph, forgetting she can’t see. “I told you it was awkward! And you just laughed in my face! It was bad enough I had to deal with Aang — ”

“The bald dude?” Zuko asks, making Sokka laugh even harder. Zuko looks at the group, confused. “He seems like a good guy. What’s your problem with him?”

“Yeah, Katara, what’s wrong with Aang?” Suki says teasingly, taking a swig out of Sokka’s beer can.

Katara’s dark skin flushes a deep red. “Nothing! There’s nothing wrong with him!”

“Then why’d you break up with him?” Suki teases.

“You dated the bald dude?” Zuko laughs despite himself. Katara glares at him.

“What’s so funny about that?”

“It’s just…” Zuko tries to keep his face straight. “It makes sense. That he’d be your type.”

“I don’t have a type! And what’s that supposed to mean?” Katara shoots back at him.

Toph snorts. “Twinkletoes was  _ so not  _ Sugar Queen’s type. He just wore her down.”

“Oh, come on,” Sokka chimes in. “Aang’s a great guy, and Katara wouldn’t have stayed with him for three years if he wasn’t her type.”

“Don’t I get a say in this? I’m right here!” Katara protests.

“They were together three years and she  _ still  _ broke up with him,” Toph says to Sokka, clearly ignoring Katara. “Besides, remember Jet?”

“Toph!” Katara buries her face in her hands.

“Who’s Jet?” Zuko and Suki ask at the same time.

“No one!” Katara slams a fist on the coffee table. “Can we talk about something else,  _ please? _ ”

“Oh yeah!” Toph sits up excitedly. “It’s my turn on Never Have I Ever!”

Zuko groans. “I didn’t think we were still playing.”

“Never have I ever…” Toph smirks at Katara’s direction. “Had sex in a public place!”

Katara fumes while Sokka and Suki down their drinks unashamedly.

Toph drums her fingers on the table, smirking. “C’mon, Sweetness, I’m waiting. You can’t lie on Never Have I Ever.”

Katara could feel her entire body heating up. She glares venomously at Toph and begrudgingly takes a sip of her margarita. 

“With the bald guy?” Zuko blurts out. He can’t imagine that cheerful, almost innocent guy doing the deed in public.

Katara turns her glare on him. “Can you  _ not  _ call him ‘the bald guy’,  _ Scarface _ ?”

“You and Aang did it in a public place?” Suki whistles. “Never knew you guys had it in you, Katara.”

Toph sniggers. “Oh, it wasn’t with Aang.”

Katara buries her face in her hands with a frustrated squeal. 

“Why are you so  _ intent  _ on bringing Jet up?” she moans into her hands.

“Payback for dragging me to the spa,” Toph snickers.

“Going to the spa is  _ our thing,  _ Toph! I didn’t think you minded this much,” Katara rolls her eyes at the memory of Toph paying extra for five more minutes of the Swedish massage. “Besides, I don’t know why Jet has anything to do with that!”

“I’m trying to prove a point to Sokka, Sweetness, so if you could just pipe down for a sec, that would be great.”

“What  _ point  _ are you trying to prove, exactly?” Katara crosses her arms over her chest.

“Oh, come on,” Sokka complains, catching on to Toph’s point, “I never really liked Jet on account of him being a total dirtbag and him groping my baby sister every chance he got — ”

“I could very well take care of myself, Sokka — ”

“Oh really, because that’s not how I remember it when I had to rescue you and Aang from almost getting  _ arrested _ — ”

“Who  _ is  _ Jet?” Zuko wonders out loud over the heated conversation, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“He’s this kid in high school who got held back a year because of all the stuff he wrecked,” Sokka explains, dislike dripping in his tone. “Flooding the principal’s office, smoking behind the gym, joining a motorcycle gang, all that crap.”

“Katara was obsessed with him,” Toph adds mischievously. 

“I was not  _ obsessed  _ with him,” Katara pipes in weakly. “I just… really liked him, that’s all.”

“Yeah, you  _ really liked  _ him,” Toph repeats mockingly, rolling her milky green eyes, “You liked him well enough that you got caught doing it in the football field.”

Suki laughs heartily. “Seems fun, Katara.”

“It wasn’t,” Katara mutters, busying herself with cleaning up the little bits of water that pooled around her glass. 

It  _ was  _ fun, she admits to herself, but the memories of how it ended between her and Jet marred every other feeling she had. She lied when she said she just really liked him, and Toph knew that. Jet is the first boy she ever loved, and after he left her the way he did…

Katara stands up abruptly, nearly crashing into Zuko on her way to the balcony. Why did Toph bring him up? Just to make prove that Katara has a “type”? Or to prove to Sokka that Aang isn’t right for her?

_ Well, they’re both wrong. Both Jet and Aang weren’t right for me.  _

“You know, for someone with such strong convictions, you sure can’t decide on your dating life.”

The raspy voice startles her, but she doesn’t turn around. Instead, she says in an exasperated voice, “Why are you here?”

“This is my house,” Zuko says, matter-of-factly. Katara glares at him over her shoulder. “Also, they’ve, uh, kinda elected me to talk to you.” His hand finds the back of his neck as he looks away, embarrassed.

Katara turns to face him and leans on the railings. “Well then, go ahead. Talk.”

Zuko drops his hand from his nape and looks at her guiltily. “I don’t really know what to say.”

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. “Then why’d they send you here?”

Zuko chuckles darkly. “Because your brother and his fiancee don’t know me well enough to know I  _ don’t  _ talk, and Toph’s too wasted to even stand up.”

“Great, so what good are you?”

Zuko shrugs and offers her a fresh bottle of beer. Katara rolls her eyes but swipes it off his hand regardless. He joins her by the railings.

Katara takes a sip from the bottle and passes it to him wordlessly. He takes a swig and passes it back to her. They pass the bottle back and forth a few times in silence until Zuko blurts out, “It’s okay to be embarrassed, you know.”

_ Dammit, why did I say that? I must be drunker than I thought.  _

But Katara doesn’t seem to mind. She just passes him the bottle and asks sourly, “Yeah? You don’t think I’m a… a… floozy or something?”

Something between a snort and a laugh escapes from Zuko. “ _ Floozy?  _ Who uses that word?”

He expected her to retaliate, for her temper to flare up again, but instead she just hugs her arms and says in a small voice, “So you think I’m a floozy, huh?”

“What? No!” Zuko says, confused. “I never said that! I mean, you were in high school. People do all sorts of crazy stuff in high school.”

Katara shrugs and takes the bottle from him. She takes a long drink before speaking again in a voice barely above a whisper. “I think he just wanted to get caught. To get back at his parents for getting divorced or something. And I fell for it.”

“He  _ used  _ you to get back at his parents?” Zuko says, his temper rising for some reason he can’t understand. He blames it on the alcohol.

Katara takes a swig from the bottle again. She winces as she hands him the beer, but whether it was from the drink or the memories, Zuko doesn’t know.

“I hated myself after that,” Katara continues, her hands gripping the balcony railings tightly. “That wasn’t me. I don’t do stuff like that. I just got caught up because I really loved him.”

“Well,” Zuko drinks from the bottle, searching for words to say. “Toph’s an ass for bringing it up.”

Katara snorts half-heartedly. “She was right, too, though. About Aang. He just wore me down. I really care about him, but listening to him make all these plans for our future— that wasn’t me, either.”

“I get it,” Zuko says before he could stop himself. “That’s why I left Mai, my last girlfriend. She expected me to be someone I don’t want to become.”

_ Still no excuse for breaking up with her using a note, though,  _ Katara thinks to herself. 

“I heard that.” Zuko says, smirking. 

“Why do you always hear my thoughts?” Katara cries out in frustration. 

“Because you say them out loud, dummy,” Zuko replies calmly. He sets down the empty bottle of beer they’ve been sharing. 

Katara giggles unexpectedly. Zuko looks at her, brows furrowed. “Why are you laughing?”

“You must have been such a chicken not to break up with her face to face,” she laughs slightly. 

“Well, I find it easier to write down my thoughts than to say them out loud like you do.”

She flicks him on the arm. “I can’t help it! No one ever noticed before. Besides,” she says, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, “Is it really so bad? You said it was cute.”

“When did I say it was cute?” Zuko asks in surprise. 

Katara’s eyes widen as she realizes what she said. “Towards the end of our date,” she mumbles, busying herself with her hair so as not to look at him. 

Zuko watches her hands, transfixed, as she continues to play with her hair, before suddenly reaching out and pulling the lock of hair away from her fingers. 

“Stop that. You’re making me dizzy.” He says, still holding the lock of her hair delicately between his fingers.

“You’re drunk!” Katara dissolves into a fit of giggles again. 

“Am not,” Zuko mutters, twirling her dark hair around his pale fingers with unexplainable fascination.

Katara swats his hand, laughing. “Quit playing with my hair, then.”

Zuko startles, dropping the lock of hair from his fingers. He didn’t realize how close they’d gotten, their arms brushing against each other. His eyes lock on hers, and he is drowning in blue.

He’d seen blue eyes like hers before, but none of them are capable of holding so much emotion as hers. Whether they were livid, like they were at the rooftop party, or sparkling playfully and curiously, like they are now, Zuko knows he has never seen eyes quite like hers. 

Katara’s breath catches in her throat. They are so close to each other that she could feel the heat of his arm against hers. His face fills her vision— she sees his lips part as though he is about to say something, and she sees his eyes peering at her through thick black lashes. She swallows as she realizes something. 

She hadn’t noticed the color of his eyes before, which is curious, because they are such a peculiar shade that she thinks she imagined it for a second. But as his eyes bored into hers, she wonders to herself why she has not noticed until now. 

His eyes are gold. Like the dying embers of a sunset. 

Her heart thunders in her chest. His gold eyes flicker to her lips and back to her eyes. Impulsively, she leans forward, drawn to those curious golden eyes.

He leans forward, too, but then he stops, closes his eyes, and lets out a gust of warm breath that, ironically, sends shivers down Katara’s spine.

“You’re drunk, too,” he says, somewhat painfully, his eyes still closed. 

Katara takes a step back, her heart still racing. “Am not,” she whispers. 

“Are too.” He looks at her with a half-hearted smile and sighs again, but they are not close enough anymore for Katara to feel his warm breath.

Zuko opens the door to the balcony. “You and Toph can take my room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Why can’t I take Toph’s room?” Katara says, suddenly uncomfortable. 

“Because then your brother and his girlfriend would have to take my room, and I don’t want other people having sex on my bed.” 

He blushes as he says the words, but glancing at Katara and seeing her cheeks turn red, he feels a slight wave of gratification.

He pokes Toph awake as he passes by the group around the table and explains the sleeping arrangement to the three. Sokka and Suki rush to Toph’s room hand in hand and giggling while Toph trudges to his room sleepily. Katara and Zuko trail closely behind. 

As Toph plunks herself on the bed, Katara turns hesitantly to Zuko, standing at the threshold of his bedroom.

“Hey, Zuko?” she ventures timidly.

“Yeah?”

“Did I really scare you on our date?”

Zuko’s lips twitch up at the corners. “Yes,” he answers honestly. 

Katara smiles back at him. “Good,” she says, closing the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry if this was all over the place! This is actually how Never Have I Ever usually ends up between me and my friends— sloppy and loud and stupid. Tbh writing this chapter made me a bit uncomfortable ahaha. Oh well. Please leave a review!


	10. Casual Dating

_This is the last time I use a dating app._

Katara makes sure her mouth is clamped shut when she thinks those words. 

Not that this is a bad date. Haru is nice. Sweet. Gentle. Kind. Cute, even, with sparkling green eyes and sleek brown hair. He listens to her stories about the kids at the pre-school. He laughs at the right moments. He asks questions that prompt her to talk more about herself. 

But he has a goddamn moustache. 

She was expecting someone clean-shaven, like the one in the dating profile. But he showed up and he had a moustache and it is _definitely_ not okay. 

Haru takes a sip of his cappuccino. Katara tries not to cringe as little flecks of foam stick to his _goddamn_ moustache. He smiles brightly at her, unaware of her flinching.

“I think it’s great you’re thinking of studying again,” Haru says, still not wiping the flecks of foam in his facial hair.

Katara painfully peels her sight from the foam to meet Haru’s eyes. She smiles awkwardly. “Yeah, I’m actually looking up graduate programs in University of Gao Ling and Ba Sing Se University. They’re nearest here, so I can commute easily after work.”

“Oh, hey! I’m actually a researcher for the Geology Department at BSSU. Maybe I could show you around the campus.”

 _Will you have shaved your moustache by then?_ Katara thinks while gulping the last of her coffee. Out loud, she says, “That’s great, Haru. I really appreciate it.”

Haru smiles at her, oblivious. “Cool. Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Katara replies, grabbing her purse. She glances at Haru and notices the flecks still in his moustache.

_At least in the movies I wouldn’t be able to see it._

* * *

“Suki, _why_ did you even suggest online dating?” 

“Uh oh,” Suki says on the other end of the phone call. “Did he turn out to be a creepy old man who just wants your money?”

“What?” Katara replies, aghast. She doesn’t even care that the other passengers on the bus were looking at her. “People do that?! Isn’t that illegal?”

“It depends on the circumstances,” Suki explains in her best police officer voice. “Did he assault you?”

“No,” Katara says, a little defensively.

“Did he take you somewhere you were uncomfortable with?”

“No, we just went for coffee and a movie.”

“That’s it?” Suki replies in disbelief. “What crawled up your butt, then?”

“He had a moustache! He didn’t look like his freaking photo and I got my hopes up for nothing!”

Suki laughs. “Oh, honey. I keep forgetting your dating history consists of a high school delinquent and the nicest boy in the world. Well, welcome to online dating. You don’t get what you swipe for.”

“Maybe…” Katara bites her lip. “Maybe I’m just not dateable, Suki.”

“Hold up, I am _not_ gonna let you throw a pity party for yourself. Although…”

“Although what?” Katara says, adjusting her bag as her stop nears.

“Maybe you just need to loosen up a little.” Suki’s voice grows a little earnest. “Come on, you’re, what, twenty-four, twenty-five? Dating’s supposed to be fun! Every guy you date doesn’t have to check everything in your list. If I did that back then I wouldn’t be marrying your brother.”

“I guess I could do that…” Katara mutters hesitantly, stepping off the bus and walking to her apartment. “Yeah. I should, like, be casual and stuff…”

“You don’t know how, do you?” Suki asks teasingly.

“Of course I don’t, Suki!” Katara blurts out. “Who did you think was the adult in my relationship with Aang? Who has to keep the kids at the preschool from running with scissors and eating glue? Who had to stop Sokka and Toph from doing every reckless plan they cooked up?”

 _The only time I let myself be irresponsible was with Jet, and look where it got me,_ thinks Katara, but she manages to keep her mouth shut for that one. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Suki placates. The way she says it was so reminiscent of her brother. “Katara, you put the ‘mom’ in ‘mom friend’, but it’s not your responsibility to take care of everyone, you know. Even moms need to unwind.”

Katara snorts. “Yeah, that’s the reason why preschools were invented, Suki.”

Suki ignores this. “Besides, I’m here, and I can keep Sokka in line. Toph’s roommate takes pretty good care of her, from the looks of it. It’s not so bad to have a little fun once in a while, you know.”

“What does this have to do with dating?” Katara says, punching her floor number on the elevator. 

“You broke up with Aang because you lost yourself in the role of being his mom _and_ his girlfriend,” Katara could almost hear Suki rolling her eyes. “Maybe it’s time for some experimentation, my dear.”

“Now who sounds like a mom?” she grins, despite herself. 

“Ugh, you’re rubbing off on me. Let’s just hope Sokka doesn’t notice or I’ll never live it down.”

* * *

“I always say the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you _weren’t_ looking for at a _great bargain!_ ” Iroh explains, cheerfully throwing his arms wide at the assorted mishmash of goods he collected.

Zuko groans. 

“Uncle, do we really need _this?”_ he gestures towards the sculpture of a monkey with red bejeweled eyes, “I think it might scare customers away. It’s not good for business. You’ll lose all that money Toph gave you.”

“Ah, but what is money compared to the beauty of the extraordinary, nephew?” his uncle says, placing an affectionate pat on the stone monkey’s head. 

“That thing is hardly extraordinary, Uncle. It’s just tacky.”

Iroh pulls on a hurt pout. “Ah, what wrongs have I done to the spirits that my own blood has such little appreciation for the fine arts?”

Zuko just pinches the bridge of his nose in response. 

“Very well, Zuko, if you would not care to join me in marvelling at this masterpiece, would you at least care to put away the other things we have bought?” 

“Gladly,” Zuko replies, rolling his eyes as he gathers the boxes of napkins— the only reason they went to the store for, before his uncle pounced on the discount section. With the sheer amount that the old man bought, it took Zuko the better part of the morning to put everything away. 

The stupid jewel-eyed monkey remains on the counter. He glares at it, wondering what accident he could fake to justify pushing it off its perch.

The wind chimes tinkle as another customer walks in. Zuko looks up to see Jin making her way to the counter. 

“Hi, Zuko!” She greets, smiling warmly at him. 

“Hey, Jin,” he greets back awkwardly. It’s been weeks since their first date, and it still amazes him that she was anything but awkward after the way he blew her off— he feels as though _he_ has to be awkward for both their sakes. 

“I’ll have the usual,” Jin tells him. Zuko bustles off to prepare her order— Uncle was deliberately unhelpful whenever Jin drops by, supposedly because “there is no higher honor than presenting a lady the fruits of your hard labor”. Zuko cringes at Iroh’s proverb as he sets down on Jin’s table a tray laden with peppermint tea and slices of lemon drizzle cake. 

“Say, are you free this weekend?” Jin asks, reaching for her teacup. 

“I’m free Saturday,” he says, tucking the tray under his arm. 

“Great! My favorite band’s playing at BSSU then, and I snagged two tickets from this online giveaway… wanna be my plus one?”

The first thought that pops into his head is _What kind of band is it, because if it’s too loud then I’m out,_ but he couldn’t bring himself to blow her off _again_ , not when she was generous enough to invite him. 

So he smiles slightly and says, “Sure, I’ll be there,” instead. 

* * *

For such a bubbly girl, Ty Lee is a force to be reckoned with. Even though they were just sparring, Katara could feel bruises forming on her arms. Panting, she observes Ty Lee, who is still bursting with energy and has barely broken a sweat after their match. 

Katara gulps down her water, sitting herself down on a bench in the locker room. She idly checks her phone and sees a text from Haru. 

“Oooh, is that the moustache guy?” Ty Lee trills, looking at the message from over Katara’s shoulder.

Katara laughs. “Yeah, he’s asking when I’m free to hang out again.”

“You’re free now!” Ty Lee exclaims excitedly. “Why don’t you invite him to get tea or something?”

“Tea?” Katara asks, bewildered. 

“Yeah! We can go to that tea shop that Toph co-owns. What was it called again?”

“Jasmine Dragon,” Katara replies absently, fishing for her towel in her gym bag. 

“Yeah, that!” Ty Lee checks her own phone and pulls up Toph’s number. “You can go hang out with him, and I can go see Toph! It’ll be like a double date or something.”

“I don’t know…” she twists the towel in her hands. Despite Suki’s advice, Katara still feels like she’s just stringing Haru along if she goes out with him again without being _fully_ into him. 

Ty Lee pouts. “Oh, come on, Katara! It’ll take some of the pressure off if we’re together, it’ll be like we’re just hanging out as a group. _Please?”_ She bats her big gray eyes at her. “I haven’t talked to Toph in, like, _five days.”_

Katara rolls her eyes because Toph’s philosophy of “leaving them wanting more” seems to be working like a charm. And she can’t say no to Ty Lee even if she wanted to. She might be all frills on the outside but she’s as persuasive as the blind girl she’s dating. Resisting is futile. 

“Fine, let’s go wash this gym stink off and go on a double date.”

* * *

“Miss Katara! How lovely to see you again, my dear.”

Katara smiles at Iroh as she and Ty Lee make their way through the weekend crowd. She’s not surprised at the number of customers in the shop despite the afternoon heat; Iroh makes great tea and even better company.

“It’s good to see you again, Iroh. Has Toph dropped by yet?”

“Ah, I’m afraid not,” The older man says as he leads them to a table. He turns to Ty Lee with a twinkle in his eye. “You must be the charming young lady that Miss Toph keeps talking about.”

“Toph mentioned me?” Ty Lee exclaims brightly.

Iroh tucks his hands into his uniform’s sleeves. “Of course, Miss Ty Lee. I can say she is quite taken with you.” 

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” trills Ty Lee, clasping her hands. Katara just rolls her eyes. 

The shop’s bell chimes and Iroh smiles apologetically at the two. “I hate to interrupt our delightful chat, ladies, but duty calls. I will have my nephew assist you with your order.”

“Your nephew?” Katara calls to his retreating back. She tries to fight the awkwardness that bubbles up with the memories of game night at Toph’s place a month ago. 

“Oh yeah, Toph mentioned her roommate works here now,” Ty Lee muses. “Remember that scarred guy from Suki and Sokka’s engagement party?”

Katara blinks at her companion. “Yeah, I remember him.”

“Suki said you were avoiding him, that’s why you didn’t hang out as much with the gang,” Ty Lee pouts. “What happened with you two?”

“Nothing,” replies Katara, avoiding her friend’s eyes. Ty Lee tilts her head to look at her. “Whatever, Ty Lee. We just had a bad date. But we’re okay now. I… I guess we’re kinda friends? I don’t know.”

She’s not exactly still pissed with Zuko. Somehow in the course of making frozen margaritas and cleaning up a trashed apartment, they’d ended up reluctant friends.

_It’s still awkward to pop in when we haven’t spoken in a month, though._

“It’s really not, Katara!” Ty Lee responds to her thoughts and Katara grimaces. “I know the gang gets together almost every other day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be friends with someone you haven’t seen in a while. You’re still friends with Toph even after she left, right?”

“And Aang,” Katara adds thoughtfully. “Fine, let’s go get some cake before Haru or Toph arrives.”

They’ve barely gotten up from their seats when Haru enters the tea shop, looking around curiously. 

_He still has a moustache._

Ty Lee shushes her and Katara straightens up and waves Haru over. His eyes light up when he sees her, and suddenly she’s thinking, _Maybe the moustache isn’t so bad after all._

“This place is great,” he says, when they’ve settled down and introductions have been made and Haru had ordered them cakes and jasmine tea.

“My girlfriend co-owns it,” Ty Lee explains proudly, ignoring Katara’s raised eyebrows.

“Wow,” Haru, to his credit, seems unfazed. He just frowns thoughtfully at his cup. “Good for her. I can’t even save up to pay the rent, let alone own a business.”

Katara laughs through a bite of cake. “I know what you mean. I’m still paying student loans and I can only hope I land a scholarship when I take up my masters.”

“Oh, you’re studying again?” Ty Lee says excitedly. 

Haru raises his eyebrows at her, his expression surprised but soft. “You haven’t told your friends yet?”

Katara shrugs and addresses Ty Lee. “I’m looking for programs in Early Childhood Education. My Nursing degree doesn’t actually make me qualified for my current job, so I figured…”

“Oh, that’s great! I’m so excited for you!” Ty Lee lunges across the table, nearly upending their teacups. Katara laughs as she hugs her. 

“I’m still not sure I’ll go through with it, though. That’s partly why I haven’t told you guys yet,” she says. “Partly because I couldn’t choose a school yet, too.”

“Oh! There’s this benefit concert my friends and I organized in BSSU this Saturday,” Haru turns to Katara shyly. “I’m thinking… it could be a great way to get a feel of the place. If you’re free, maybe we can go together?”

Katara immediately thinks, _no, I’m not free, Saturday’s the only time I can get to do my laundry because on Sunday I have to write the kids’ report cards—_ but when she opens her mouth, “Yes, I’d love to go,” tumbles out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made Haru cockblock any interaction between Zuko and Katara. There’s more Zutara next chapter, though! And wow, this supposed one-shot has gotten so long. Bear with me please! And as always, leave a review and tell me what you think!


	11. Casual Friendship

Zuko is right. Jin’s favorite band, The Xirxu, is an extremely loud, extremely  _ extreme  _ death metal band, and the scratchy screams coming from the lead singer grates on his nerves. The back of his scarred eye pounds with a mounting headache, but he stands patiently looking for an excuse to take a breather while Jin is still bouncing along to the tunes.

Mercifully, the song ends to raucous applause.

“I’m gonna go get us some drinks. You want anything?” he shouts over the whoops as the band starts up another song. Jin turns to him, flushed and beaming, and nods.

“Water would be great, thanks!”

Zuko heads to the tents set up off the side of the concert grounds, wondering why on earth people subjected themselves to this kind of ear-exploding music, when he hears someone shouting his name.

He looks around; there isn’t anyone vaguely familiar around him, so he trudges on to a stall and buys two bottles of water. He was halfway through the quad when he hears the voice again.

“Scarface!”

_ What the hell? _

He stops in his tracks. Only his recent acquaintances have called him that. He peers through the rapidly falling dusk — and he thinks he sees Katara, waving at him from beside the organizers’ tent. 

_ Well, this is weird. _

What would she be doing in an event like this, in this part of town, on a Saturday? Shouldn’t she be doing laundry or something else a responsible person does on a weekend?

Katara jogs a few paces towards him and he sighs, running a hand through his hair as he meets her halfway.

“What are you doing here?” he asks as soon as he reaches her. He expects her to scowl at him, but she answers with a grin.

“Nice to see you, too, Zuko,” she greets, drinking from her red plastic cup. “And to answer your question, I’m having  _ fun!” _

Zuko raises his eyebrows. “Didn’t think you knew how to have fun,” he deadpans. 

“Hey!” She glares at him and Zuko smirks at the familiar expression. She crosses her arms. “I do  _ too  _ know how to have fun! Those guys think I’m fun.” She jerks a thumb towards the tent behind her. “What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

“I  _ was  _ on my way back to my date when you called me over.”

“Oh,” Katara lets her arms fall to her sides, the contents of her cup splashing to the grass. “Is she fun?”

“I guess,” Zuko’s brows furrow. “Are you drunk?”

Katara examines her now-empty cup petulantly. “ _ Nah,  _ I’m just tipsy.”

“Maybe you should take it easy. This place is, like, almost an hour away from town.”

“No way! I’m having fun today, remember?” She crushes her cup and throws it casually over her shoulder. Zuko frowns. 

“Having fun doesn’t have anything to do with driving home drunk, Katara. Is your brother gonna pick you up, then?”

“Nope, he’s doing some underground rap battle tonight.” Katara giggles and mock-raps in a deep voice. “‘ _ That’s right, I’m Sokka, it’s pronounced with an ‘okka’! Young ladies, I rocked ya!’” _

“What’s going on with you?” Granted, he doesn’t know her that well, but there’s something off — and forced — about the way she’s acting.

“I’m the kid today!” Katara yells gleefully. “Screw responsibility! Haru will take care of me!”

Zuko frowns. “Who’s Haru?”

Katara mutters something that sounds vaguely like “moustache” before tripping over nothing. Zuko catches her arm easily. 

“Okay, where’s this Haru guy?”

Katara looks around blearily. “He and Teo and The Duke went to get water.”

“Who are Teo and Duke?”

“It’s  _ The  _ Duke!” she corrects him, as though it was of utmost importance, then suddenly points to the direction of the snacks tents. “There they are!”

Zuko looks at the trio approaching them and drops Katara’s arm. One of the guys is wheeling himself easily on a wheelchair, the other fiddles with a motorcycle helmet. The last one, the guy with the moustache— he assumes this is Haru— regards them warily as he reaches Katara’s side. 

“This is Haru,” Katara introduces, latching on to Haru’s arm. “Haru, this is Zuko. Toph’s roommate. Y’know, Ty Lee’s girlfriend.”

Zuko snorts at this. “Toph moves faster than I thought.”

“Frankly, I’m surprised they lasted this long,” Katara says. 

“Nice to meet you, Zuko.” Haru smiles warmly at Zuko and offers his hand. Zuko awkwardly shakes it. “You seem familiar, though. I think I’ve seen you in that tea shop downtown.”

Zuko rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah, I actually work there.”

“It’s his uncle’s,” Katara supplies then flashes a mischievous grin at Zuko. “Hey, by the way, congrats on not being a freeloader anymore.”

Zuko scowls. “Well, steak dinners  _ are  _ expensive, especially when they’re barely eaten.”

“How did you two meet again?” Haru asks, glancing curiously between the two. Zuko sputters. 

Thankfully, Drunk Katara is quick to recover. 

“Through Toph. We go way back. She’s actually a friend of mine from high school.”

“Hey man, Jun’s about to finish their set,” the guy with the helmet calls out to Haru. Zuko takes this as his cue to leave. 

“I, uh,” he raises the water bottles in his hand in explanation. “I better get back to my date.”

Haru smiles at him and wraps an arm around Katara’s shoulders. “See you around, Zuko. Thanks for coming to our event, really helps a lot.”

He nods back and Katara waves at him cheerily before leaning against Haru’s shoulder. Zuko clenches his jaw at the sight and stalks back to the general area where he left Jin. 

_ Why is she so nice to  _ him?

It annoys him that he feels annoyed. Why should he be annoyed? Last time he checked, they are barely friends. Sure, she was nice to him on game night, but nothing can ever come from that. As Toph has pointed out, it’s not like they are ever getting a second date. And Haru seems like a nice guy. And he is here with Jin, who miraculously likes him and overlooks all his awkwardness. 

He smiles as he spots Jin waiting by the sidelines. 

“Hey. Sorry I got held up. Bumped into someone I know,” he hands her a bottle of water and she grins at him. 

“Wanna get out of here?” She half-shouts, clearly still a little deaf from the band’s performance. Zuko grins amusedly and, feeling a little bold, wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her deeply. 

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who still shows interest in this! Comments are very appreciated. They keep me going.


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